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The narrative of self is conceived in terms of the stream of consciousness. Consequently, it cannot be defined by its contents, since the metaphorical stream is in constant flux, endlessly changing and never repeated. Rather, self depends upon a particular form of mental activity, which resembles play (Meares & Lichtenberg, 1995), and which is associational and nonlinear. Where this activity is manifest in words, it can be called a "narrative of self." This "narrative" is frequently interrupted, in the clinical situation, by another system of mental activity that has a different form. It is fixed, rather than dynamic and progressive, and is associated with negative affect. It represents a repetition in the present of a past anxiety, in which the effect of the caregiving environment had been damaging to a developing sense of self. This malignant system, described by Brandchaft, functions as if automatically. The individual may be relatively unaware of its operation. It is triggered internally by states of well-being that are characteristic of a sense of self.
In this article, Brandchaft's description is amplified in terms of Tulving's distinction between episodic and semantic memory. It is postulated that episodic memory, which develops at about the age of four, is the basis of the stream of consciousness, and so, of self. It involves reflective awareness. The fixed system of negating evaluations is seen to reside in a module of memory that develops earlier than episodic memory. This form of memory, semantic, concerns knowledge of facts. The system is relatively sequestered from the stream of consciousness, and the origins of its "facts" are no longer accessible. The therapeutic aim is to integrate this system into the more mature form of consciousness underpinned by episodic memory.